India opens door to Kookaburra balls in Tests

Standardisation of the ball in Test cricket is gaining momentum after the Indian board said it was now open to the idea of having Australia's Kookaburra as a second supplier.

Eight of the 10 Test-playing nations use assembly-line balls manufactured by the Australian company.

India and England are the exceptions, preferring to use their domestic, hand-stitched red balls. The choice of the brand of ball used in Tests is the privilege of the host nation.

Indian sports goods manufacturer Sanspareils Greenlands (SG) has been the sole supplier of the red ball to the Indian board for many years, but is now in danger of losing its monopoly following complaints about performance and replacement rates.

Indian board secretary Niranjan Shah told Reuters the board was agreeable to using Kookaburra as long as the manufacturer provided the balls at a competitive price.

The Kookaburra costs five times more than a SG ball.

"We are not discouraging SG but there needs to be an alternate. Kookaburra is a well-known brand and most countries use their ball," Shah said.

Many believe the hand-made SG ball offers an advantage to the spin-oriented Indian attack because the pronounced seam provides better grip for spinners.

The Australian company, whose white ball is widely used in one-day cricket, is pitching for the red ball to be standardised.